


Treatment

by orphan_account



Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Comfort, Cuddles, F/M, Fluff, Kissing, Love, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-10-28 02:46:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10822134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Marco Diaz finds himself sick and miserable, it's up to his closest friend (or maybe something more?) to help him survive a most unpleasant night.





	Treatment

It had not been an easy day for Marco Diaz. His muscles ached, his nose was congested, and he felt like his insides were on fire. Drenched in sweat beneath his blanket as he grasped for a single second of sleep, Marco desperately tried to drive the day's events from his mind. He tried to forget the doctor's grave tone on the phone, his parents' attempts at reassurance, the horrible rash emerging on his inner knee, and worst of all, the way he had avoided Star after getting the news, yet somehow it all came back to him as he lay in his bed, soaking in sweat and shame. Images and sounds and feelings danced around his mind, as his sickened body lay dormant, but not asleep.  
It was all normal of course. Plenty of people had worse diseases in the US alone. He just had to take the disgusting pills they gave him, and relax for a bit, and it'd all be done soon enough. But that didn't dry the puddle of sweat or decrease his guilt for avoiding Star. He knew it was perfectly reasonable, and she'd forgive him, but above any rational thought, he felt as though he was being a terrible friend and a disappointment to everyone. That was a regular fear of his, come to think of it.  
Marco would have continued on like this indefinitely, or at least until his alarm reminded him to take one of the disgusting pills, if there hadn't come a knock at the door. He knew who it was immediately: Jackie had better things to do, his parents made a point of never disturbing Marco past 9:00, and Janna wouldn't bother knocking. That left only one possibility, and it wasn't one Marco was terribly keen on. He knew it he wasn't contagious, but he also knew she wasn't human, and she might respond much worse to it than him. Or maybe she wouldn't, and she'd want to go on adventures with him and do all the things they normally did, and she'd be disappointed when he couldn't keep up. Or maybe-  
At this point, Star's severely limited patience had run out. "Marco?" She called softly. "Can I come in?"  
All the responses he had prepared in his mind dissolved at once. Her voice sounded like the eyes of a dog which has just been kicked for fetching its toy. Somehow, he managed to cough out a "sure, Star" from his puddle of bedding. The door opened slowly to reveal the crown princess of Mewni in her night-gown. Marco's gaze didn't move from its place.  
"Hey, Marco. Your parents told me about...this. I was just wondering if you had enough energy to maybe...read to me?" Star began. "You don't have to if you don't want, but I was having trouble sleeping, and your father just isn't the same when it comes to storytelling. Besides, I'd never ask him anyway." Of course not. Marco groaned internally. He wished nothing more than to travel back in time and slap himself a few weeks ago for agreeing to help the princess get to sleep. Of course, she was a teenager now, old enough not to need a bedtimes story, but she had come into his room one night with trouble sleeping, and this was what he had devised. Why couldn't he have just volunteered his old tape of "The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the World"? Now he was stuck reading to her every night. Not that he disliked it, but he got the sense there was something more at play here than his story telling abilities, and sometimes he just wanted to be left alone.  
Once again, Marco's attention span outlasted Star's patience, and once again, she pulled him out of his thoughts. This time, though, it was not her words, but her impact on the bed which yanked him back to reality.  
"So what do you say?" She said, turning to face Marco, her voice still uncharacteristically soft and uncertain. "Should I go get the book or..." Star trailed off, clearly not wanting to think about the alternative. Marco felt a terrible shame in his heart.  
"Listen...Star" he wheezed, "I'm really sick right now..."  
"Oh! It's ok if you don't do all the voices. Or if you don't want to, then we can just...hang." She said with an energy that was much more at home in her than her previous uncertainty.  
"Star," Marco coughed, "we both-" another cough "need our" Marco took several seconds here trying to swallow "sleep."  
Star sighed and turned her gaze to the ceiling, splaying her arms and legs over the bed with no regard to where Marco might be. "How did I know you would say something like that?" She said in an almost a wistful voice. "But let's be real here: neither of us is getting any sleep any time soon. You know you weren't sleeping before I came in here, and I know I only come for your help when nothing else will help me sleep..." Maybe SHE was the one who needed medical attention, given how often she seemed to need this “last resort.” "Come on Marco. Let me stay with you..."  
"Star..." a storm of protestations and reservations whirled in Marco's head, but none of that seemed to matter. Deep down he began to realize that he wanted this, maybe even more than Star did.  
"It's ok Marco! My mom put this 'Vaccination Spell' on me so I don't have to worry about getting sick here. A-and if the bed's not big enough, I-"  
"The bed is fine Star, it’s just…I…” Marco felt the last inkling of resistance evaporate within him. “Fine. You...you can stay, if you want." Marco sighed at last. "But no funny business!" He then added, with as much authority as his depleted body could muster.  
Star greeted this with a bright smile and a tight, wordless hug. It would have been cozy had it not been for Marco's burning fever. All the same, it was entirely welcome. The sickness didn't matter, all that mattered here was two souls reaching out for each other, in a bed, in a small house, in Echo Creek, USA. “Thank you, Marco” he heard in his ear, with an intimacy that far exceeded that of just friends.  
At 11:45 PM, Marco opened his mouth to speak, and felt Star's lips blocking any words he could say. Somehow, it seemed perfectly natural. Perfectly right. Had he had more energy, he would have been full of questions. Was this really how Star felt about him? Was this why she always needed him to read to her? And…did he feel the same way? Was he…in love? With his best friend? But now all he could do was lie there, stunned, love-drunk, and happier than he had been for the past week.  
At 1:00 AM, Marco really did speak. "Why are you doing this Star? I mean this is a bit more than just helping a friend. At least it feels that way. I mean if you want to, we could…That is we…" Star pretended to be asleep as Marco searched for the right words.  
At 2:30 AM, when she thought he was asleep, Star whispered "You know I love you...right Marco?"  
Fifteen minutes later, as she was finally drifting off, Star thought she heard Marco say, "I love you too, Star."  
At 6:30, when Rafael Diaz came to see if Marco was well enough for school, he knew better than to ask questions.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by past experience and a headcanon I have that Marco reads to Star when she has trouble sleeping (or just when she wants his company).


End file.
